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Bellona of Halych
Biography Early Life Bellona of Halych was born the seventh child to Jasson and Elasabenne of Goldenlake born right after her father became Prime Minister and in this sense she is very much the heir to this position and the person her father became. While her brother is the noble heir, Bellona is the only child who has the same passion for justice and to serve the crown in this direct manner. She grew up very much a child of the city of Corus and while she enjoyed spending time at Goldenlake, saw it more as a vacation home and not her true home. She grew up as a child playing with her siblings; she was closest to her younger brothers, Padraig and Tobeis, though Deirdry did her best to be close to her younger siblings. With more than ten years difference between her eldest sisters, Bellona does not know them very well even to this day. Bellona’s gift was discovered quite young and studied under one of the best tutors in the city before she went to the convent. Early on it was plain to see she would become an extremely talented war mage, this fate was quickly stamped out despite the tutor who argued that denying this power could be catastrophic for Bellona. There were quiet meetings in the house for days after this argument and with a stern talk, Bellona understood from her parents that a war mage was a frightful career and it was not right for a noblewoman, let alone a Goldenlake girl to become one. Studying other types of magic took a great toll on Bellona, they required much more concentration and they did not come to her as quickly and as thoroughly as war magic did. She still managed to learn at a good speed with her brand new tutor (the other one was let go after the argument). The new tutor taught her magic befitting the station of a noble woman. At ten, Bellona was sent to the convent like her sisters before and was ecstatic in the libraries full of books on magic. She almost breathed them, ignoring most of the social side of the convent, leaving it up to her sisters who were there at the same time. She spent every extra minute she had devouring books and discussing magic with her teachers who were excited to teach her everything she wanted to know. Here she unearthed more of the forbidden war magic, learning it under the cover of night and during social events. However, she wasn’t a failure at the more ladylike side of the convent; she kept her poise well, danced as if she was on air and knew her manners. She left the convent at fifteen, eager to continuing her studying at the University in Carthak. University of Carthak Carthak was an amazing place, even for the young girl who was slightly scared of the vast world around her, so different than the closed world of Corus and the convent. She continued the same voracious appetite for knowledge in University; the admittance committee had been so impressed with her they let her in a year early (University studies usually begin at sixteen). She quickly gained her yellow robe and in three years, earned her red robe, signifying her mastery of magic. While she was asked by some to continue her studies to try her best to earn a black robe, Bellona wasn’t sure if she could manage such magic, or if she wanted to spend most of her life studying for it. A Black robe would be under the watchful eye of the Emperor and they had a perchance for short lives. However any decision Bellona would make was made by her parents who recalled her to Tortall in August for she was getting married. First Marriage It was that month, in 306 HE, Bellona met and married her fiancé, Geoffrey of Linshart who was close to the crown prince, a man Bellona did not like from the moment. Marriage and Tortall was hard for Bellona, it was a bit of a culture shock for her after three years in Carthak, though Geoff was almost painfully patient with his new wife, taking her on a tournament circuit around the Eastern Lands for a honeymoon. In January of 307, Bellona realized she was pregnant and had a very unhappy pregnancy; she had not wanted to be pregnant, nor even married when she felt her life was just beginning. The freedom she felt in Carthak was taken away almost the moment she stepped off the boat in Tortall. In spring, Bellona finally told Geoffrey she was pregnant and he took her back to Tortall where she went into a forced lying in for half of the summer. She gave birth to a girl, whom they named Gwendolyn, whom Bellona instantly fell in love with, taking to motherhood so well it scared her sometimes. After Gwendolyn’s birth, Geoff and Bellona started to get along, and while they never loved each other in their marriage, they got along and had a growing affection for each other. In March of 308, they had another child, this one a boy whom they named Mathias. Bellona almost immediately became pregnant again though half way through this pregnancy, tragedy struck and Geoff was killed in a hunting accident, the shock sent Bellona into an almost miscarriage and she was relegated to a very unhappy bed rest until she delivered Alazne premature in December. While she missed Geoff, she never loved him and mourned more for her father of her children than her husband. In the new year, Bellona was excited to be out of mourning and able to start to enjoy her widowhood and the independence that afforded her. At a party in January, Bellona met Rilind Mikhail of Halych whom she was acquainted with from court but had never had a devoted conversation with the man. At their first meeting, Bellona and Rilind managed to steal a couch from the palace, taking it to her townhouse in Upmarket. At their second meeting, Bellona was caught by him melting an ice sculpture to get it to fall on an annoying courtier. It was clear they would continue to meet in strange circumstances and started to send daily notes to each other, flirting through February and March until they gave into the sexual tension and slept together. However as harmless and unserious as the affair seemed, in April, Rilind’s father died, affecting the young man more than he thought it would. Bellona found herself taking charge and caring tenderly for Rilind, spending days at the embassy helping him settle his father’s affairs. It was afterward that Rilind proposed marriage to the young widow. Second Marriage Late that May they were married in a slightly rushed ceremony, with have their guests suspecting Bellona was pregnant and the other half thinking it was a rush, hasty decision Rilind would soon regret. However the couple were clearly in love and proved it over and over again during the first year of their marriage. In December of 309, the couple announced Bellona was pregnant, the pregnancy was not planned, the two thinking they were covered with a pregnancy charm. However Bellona embraced pregnancy again, and gave birth to a healthy boy, Aleksandr, in July of 310 HE. Bellona is very much hoping for a break from giving birth to enjoy her new family, and rank as wife to the Marenite Ambassador. Physical description Personality and traits Bellona inherited perhaps the things a good son should, the importance of loyalty to the crown, to her family, and now, a sense of justice as the daughter of the Prime Minister. Unlike her sisters, she has less feminine qualities, though she had never been able to see herself married and with children, Bellona has learned to balance her personality and her family. She has a protective streak a mile long and thrills in experiencing the world again for the first time with her children, watching them explore and learn. She is passionate about magic, a mix of research and practical application. You hand Bellona a spell, she will have it worked out in terms of origin, counter spells, and improvements on the original spell when you next speak to her. Most likely she'll probably have used it at least once as well. However, she has been focusing more on practical applications of magic. One of her senior projects in the university was the use of gems and stones in magic and it still keeps her busy to this day. She collects different gems to discover the use of them and their properties; it's probably the most expensive endeavour she undertakes. Bellona is reasonable, while her passions still inflame her, she would never let fascination with a spell or study to stop her from eating or sleeping. However the controlling of passions that interfere with life is quite different from staying out of conflict with her family or her peers on issues. Most notably with her parents is the disagreement on the usefulness of the traditional role and temperament of a 'good' noble daughter. While enjoying being married and a mother, Bellona is much the same as always, not quite acting in the way she ought. She is an eager mother, and affection, if independent wife who still defines herself by who she is as a person and not the roles she plays now at home. She is not the prefect picture of a noblewoman and never will be. Bellona has a hard time being comfortable with the nobles of the palace because she finds them self-absorbed and self-important without understanding anything that is important in the world. This extends to even her family; she gets frustrated easily with people who consume their lives to silly things. Skills and abilities Magical abilities Bellona's gift colour is like a "Jazzberry Jam" crayon, a more saturated maroon and a bright red-violet. From a very early age, Bellona has been trained in mage, mostly a general study, though in this time it was found she has enormous talent as a war mage. Bellona knew, and her family was insistent that the short, brutal life of a war mage was not the life they wanted for a daughter of Goldenlake. Bellona agreed with this in principle, though it was hard to ignore. Learning spells not in this field takes twice as long and takes much more concentration on her part. On the other hand, spells of a war mage come therefore much easily to Bellona and she finds a sense of ecstasy when she does one, the joy of doing what you were meant to do. After training in the convent, Bellona went to the University in Carthak at fifteen and graduated with her red robe by the time she was eighteen, gaining both her Scholar’s Degree and Master’s. Bellona’s learned healing skills during her marriage with Rilind, learning to soothe his migraines. Physical/mental skills Relationships Family Friends Romance Appearances Trivia Notes and references See also External links Category:Tortallan Nobility Category:Diplomat Category:Gifted Individual Category:Goldenlake Category:University of Carthak Category:Linshart Category:Halych